The invention(s) disclosed herein relate to compressing, storing, identifying and retrieving digital data such as multimedia data, particularly audio data, and to methods, systems and equipment for doing so. More particularly, the invention(s) relate to a music digital jukebox that performs those functions and methods, and incorporates those systems and equipment. Although the invention(s) have particular application to the audio/video field, the invention(s) can be applied to other equipment in other fields, as will be apparent from this patent document as of the filing dates of this application and the above provisional patent application, and as technology develops. Therefore, while the following description focuses on a music jukebox embodiment, there is no intention to limit the scope of the invention(s) to music jukeboxes.
Large capacity digital jukeboxes using mass storage devices such as a hard disk are currently available. Most of these jukeboxes are PC (Personal Computer)-based, i.e. they use the PC's hard disk to store the music and the PC software and processor for recording, compressing and decoding the music, as well as for organizing a music database and editing the selection list. Typically, speakers or a sound system connected to the PC play the music decoded by the PC.
Stand-alone digital jukeboxes are also available. For example, digital jukeboxes are available from Request Multimedia, Hanko and Creative Labs. The Hanko and Creative Labs jukeboxes do not include a processor which can compress the music (i.e., audio signals representing music) for storage and decode the compressed music for playback. Use of “music” herein sometimes refers to the audio signals representing the music, depending upon the context. Rather, they rely on a PC for these functions. As a result, users are required to compress the music they obtain into MP3 format using a PC, and then download the compressed music to the jukebox. The Audiorequest jukebox, on the other hand, has on-board compression and decoding capability. The audio request jukebox uses a PC architecture to perform the compression and decoding functions, and can be considered a PC.
The jukeboxes described above have hard-disk sizes ranging from 6 Gigabytes to 17 Gigabytes, and currently can store one or two thousand musical selections or “songs”, with the number expected to be extended to five or ten thousand songs. Therefore, digital jukeboxes of the type described above can be used not only for playing digital music, but also, and perhaps more importantly, as a convenient device for storing and archiving songs such that users can easily search for, select, retrieve and directly play the retrieved songs. Jukeboxes which include a processor capable of compressing and decoding the music provide additional advantages and convenience.
Nullsoft, Inc. provides an Internet jukebox service (www.winamp.com) and software (WINAMP) which enable a subscriber to store music on Nullsoft's servers, and to access that music over the Internet. Nullsoft provides certain play list functions as well as certain information about a song being played. However, a PC is required to support use of WINAMP.
Currently available music jukeboxes have at least one or more of the following drawbacks, shortcomings and disadvantages: (1) slow archiving of songs (i.e., audio signals representing songs) (use of “songs” herein sometimes refers to the audio signals representing the songs, depending upon the context); (2) a PC or PC processing power is needed to compress the music being archived, which adds expense to an overall system capable of compressing, storing, retrieving and decoding the archived music; (3) poor user interfaces for directing or controlling archiving, identifying, selecting and/or retrieving archived songs; (4) poor systems for searching for wanted songs, whether by title, artist or type of music; and (5) poor systems for providing information relating to stored songs such as song title, artist or group and music type to users. Each of these drawbacks, shortcomings and disadvantages is discussed in more detail below.
Archiving requires transfer of a song from a music CD, for example, and compression of the song. In the case of a CD, a user places the CD in the jukebox and the jukebox will transfer the music audio signals to an internal storage device. (In the case of an LP record or cassette tape, an LP record player or cassette tape player must be connected to the jukebox.) A user with a 200 CD collection must repeat this action 200 times (current jukeboxes have a receptacle for only a single CD). However, because of slow archiving speeds, users must wait considerable time before removing one CD and loading another.
Low cost digital signal processors can achieve one-times to two-times real time compression speed. Current PCs can compress digital music (e.g., MPG3) three to four times faster than real time compression through use of high-end state-of-the-art processors (e.g., Pentium-III® processor), resulting in an archiving time ⅓ to ¼ of the total CD time. However, the cost of these high-end processors can be high. Nevertheless, users are concerned with turn-around time (time required to transfer the songs to the jukebox and the waiting time after the CD is placed in the jukebox) and one-times or even three- to four-times real time processing presents a serious inconvenience.
MP3 coding to compress digital audio is well known in the art. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,142,656, 5,632,003, 5,761,636, 5,778,339 and 5,794,179, and the following documents which contain details of formatting standards: ISO/IEC 11172-3 & ISO 13818-3, MPEG1 & 2 audio layer 3 specifications; X3T10/0948D Information Technology—AT Attachment with Extensions (ATA-2); T13/1153D Information Technology—AT Attachment with Packet Interface Extension (ATA/ATAPI-4); and in standard ISO/IEC 11172-3: 1993(E). The disclosures and contents of all of these patents and documents are incorporated herein by reference.
Unlike traditional audio equipment, such as CD players, FM tuners, MD players, and cassette tape players where there are limits on the number of songs one can select for play (typically less than 20 songs, except for equipment having changer devices such as a CD-changer), the digital jukebox has hundreds to thousands of songs from which the user selects. For a PC-based jukebox, these functions are implemented using a software user interface (e.g., a window) displayed on the PC monitor, which of course requires that a computer be attached to the jukebox. In the AudioRequest jukebox, the user interface is displayed on a TV, which of course requires connection of the jukebox to a TV and operation of the jukebox in front of the TV, which is not always convenient. The Creative Labs jukebox includes a small LCD. A high-end set-top jukebox by Escient has an optional LCD touch screen controller, but is very expensive.
Another drawback of current jukeboxes associated with their capability to store hundreds and even thousands of songs is the time it takes for a user to locate a desired song. For a PC-based jukebox with either a Windows-based or Unix-based operating system, data is organized in a traditional directory (folder) structure. Current computer file structures, such as the structure used by the Microsoft Windows environment, allow the listing of content from one folder only. However, listing all files that have particular parameters (e.g. all files that are in Word format in the C drive) requires the time consuming process of searching every folder and its subfolders for the documents. Searching requires accessing the hard disk many times since the records are stored in different locations on the hard disk and searching requires the hard disk head to move between several different locations during the searching period. This type of directory and file structure is inefficient for storing music data since each song not only has a title, but is also associated with an artist (or group) and a category of music. Thus, the traditional directory structure hinders search speed when looking for songs at least by category.
When a user retrieves a song to be played, the user would like to be provided with information about the retrieved song, such as title, artist or group and category. However, providing that information to jukeboxes is currently inconvenient. CDDB, Inc. currently provides a database of such information. This type of database is referred to herein as the music or track information database. The CDDB music database is accessed over the Internet. (See U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,987,525, 6,061,680) To use this service, a user must have Internet access and must use a PC. The PC sends certain information characteristic of the song to the database over the Internet connection, and the database uses this information to identify the song and return information relating to the song to the PC. This information is referred to herein as “track information.” In the case of CDs, such track information includes CD titles, track names, play-times, artist names etc. To obtain track information for a CD, the CD is inserted into the PC CD ROM drive, the PC reads the CD, obtains an ID for the CD and transmits the ID over the Internet to CDDB's database server. (In the case of a standalone jukebox like AudioRequest's, the jukebox connects to the Internet through a PC.) The database then returns the CD track information to the PC (or to the jukebox through the PC).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,751,672 similarly discloses storing a user-searchable database of CD information on a CD changer, and providing for update of the database from a remote database accessed through a modem.
When the jukebox is used as standalone audio equipment at home or in stores, it may be inconvenient for the jukebox to be connected to a PC, or to the Internet. Also whenever the user wants to archive a new CD, the user must connect the jukebox to the Internet again.
There is a need for a music jukebox which does not have one or more of the foregoing drawbacks, shortcomings and disadvantages.